Elephant Dropping (9781301895199) (59 page)

‘I don’t want
her to come to Nairobi with us,’ Brian said.

‘You just want
to dump her in the middle of nowhere?’

‘I don’t care,
I don’t want that bitch anywhere near me.’

‘Calm down, you
can both be treated with antibiotics at a clinic in Nairobi; you
can’t just leave her here. Anyhow my uncle wanted to interview
her.’

‘Fuck that! She
has been threatening to go to the police all along. I have been
such an idiot.’

‘You are
overreacting Brian - it’s water under the bridge now.’

‘Listen, just
tell her to get lost, give her some money.’ He reached into his
pocket. ‘She will be ok, little bloody whore.’

Doug appalled
said. ‘Clear up your own fucking mess,’ and stepped away from
him.

‘Ok I will,’
said Brian.

‘Whilst we are
on the subject of money, I need some for the fuel.’ Brian handed
some cash over.

‘Are you sure
you want to do this, this way?’ Doug asked.

‘Yes, anyhow I
thought you couldn’t stand her.’

Doug shrugged.
‘She’s a human being, I don’t think she gave you the clap
deliberately, these things happen.’

Brian strode
off towards the table where Lucy sat.

Doug tossed his
half-eaten bun away and walked towards the car. Soon raised voices
from the two of them arguing followed him. Brian got in the car and
shut the door. ‘Let’s go,’ he said, as Lucy banged her fist on the
window.

‘Birin, no!
Don’t go,’ she pleaded. He reached over the seat and got her
things, wound down the window and tossed them out at her, high
heels clattering on the road.

‘Get lost,’ he
said.

Doug looked
across to see Lucy, tears streaming down her face, looking very
vulnerable and frightened. ‘Pleases Birin, don’t leave me here,
this place full of bad mens, pleases I beg you.’

Brian wound up
the window, Lucy hung on, he banged her fingers to make her let go.
‘Let’s get the fuck out of here.’

‘You can catch
a bus,’ Doug called out, ‘back to Mombasa.’

She wasn’t
listening. ‘Please Birin, why do thisis you like me?’

Brian angrily
opened the door pushing Lucy to one side. ‘Fuck off,’ he shouted,
and looked like he would strike her.

Doug called.
‘Hey Brian take it easy,’ he started the car.

Brian got back
in and slammed the door.

Lucy ran round
to Doug’s side. ‘No,’ she said, ‘No.’

‘Sorry sister,’
he put the car in gear.

Lucy seeing the
inevitable shouted out. ‘He a thief, he takes money worse than all
of them and he have gun. Fucker go away die! You shit man,’ she
flung one of her shoes at the departing car; it bounced off the
rear window ineffectively.

Doug pulled out
onto the highway; once he had the car in top gear he said with
feeling. ‘You’re a real bastard.’

Brian muttered
under his breath. ‘Yeah? Fucking little bitch.’

They drove in
silence, Doug getting angrier as he thought over the ugly scene.
Speeding up and taking fast elaborate turns around potholes, going
off road as they passed oncoming vehicles, savagely keeping his
lights on full beam.

‘Doug, don’t
you think you should slow down a little?’

‘You don’t like
my driving?’

‘No you seem to
be angry.’

‘I am.’

‘Ok let me
drive then,’ said Brian.

‘You think you
can do a better job do you?’

‘Actually, Doug
it is my car.’ Doug swerved off the road abruptly and stopped in a
cloud of dust, stalling the engine, the headlights probing the
bush. ‘What the hell are you doing now?’

‘I’m not going
to be party to any more of this shit.’ Doug said.

‘You’re upset
now, when before, all you could do was moan and complain about her
all the time, what is this? Listen, you forget she was threatening
all the time to sell us out to the police,’ Brian tried to
reason.

‘Oh and why am
I in this shit, because of her? No it’s because of you!’ He yelled.
‘You and your fucked up
mzungu
ideas of what’s right and
wrong. You pick up that girl, lead her on a merry dance then just
dump her, like a discarded paper wrapper. In this place,’ he waved
his arms around, ‘it’s almost tantamount to murder, she is all
alone and has no contacts. I don’t want any part of it.’

‘Oh so you want
to teach me a lesson on morality now do you,’ Brian replied acidly.
‘I’m supposed to be happy I have the clap, that little cow will be
dosing someone else in no time.’

‘It’s your own
fault Brian, it’s all your fault, all this shit.’

‘Yeah well I’m
not the one being hunted for murder.’

‘Fuck you,’
Doug said stung, ‘you know that was self-defence and let me remind
you it wasn’t me those bastards were after!’

They sat in
silence, crickets sawing in the bush, engine ticking as it cooled.
They had become the strangers they always were, their enforced bond
weakening as they neared its end.

Doug took a
deep breath, and gripped the steering wheel. ‘What was that Lucy
was shouting about as we drove off?’

‘All I heard
was swearing, remind me?’ Brian invited evenly.

‘You know what
she said.’

‘I don’t know
what you’re talking about.’

‘About, you
being a worse thief than all of them and that you had the gun.’

Brian chuckled.
‘She said that? Silly bitch.’

‘You told me
you had left the gun in the apartment.’

‘Yes and just
suppose I hadn’t, what would you do about it?

‘Ahhh fuck
this,’ said Doug getting out of the car and the impasse. He walked
round to the passenger door, Brian slid across into the driver’s
seat and they headed towards Nairobi in pained silence.

*

Patel sat on
the aircraft, a magazine on his lap, not knowing what to do. The
initial excitement of his condition had surprised him. He had
assumed it would resolve itself, something to do with the joy of
his narrow escape, but now it was getting painful. He fingered
himself under the magazine trying to relieve the pressure; it only
made the craving worse. He craned over the seat in front of him
looking for the sign for the toilets. He would have to ease himself
out and make a dash for one of them. He glanced at the woman beside
him working out how to squeeze past, when his eyes locked on her
thighs. He shut them trying to force the image from his mind and
stood up. ‘Excuse me,’ he blurted out and pushed his way towards
her.

A passing
flight attendant addressed him firmly. ‘Sit down sir we are about
to take off. Please put on your seat belt.’

Patel looked at
her wildly his eyes on her breasts. ‘The toilet,’ he said in a
strangled voice.

‘Sorry you will
have to wait,’ she told him unsympathetically and walked on. Patel
sat down moaning softly, eyes shut as he tried to control the
sexual images coursing through his mind, he felt like he was about
to explode.

The plane was
no sooner in the air than he was up out of his seat, pushing past
the woman treading on her foot in his haste to get to the toilet.
He stayed in there for a long time, later feeling better, he made
his way back. The woman glared at him as he returned. He leered
back. ‘Sorry my tummy,’ he said as he squeezed past her.

An attendant
came over. ‘Is everything alright sir?’

‘Yes. My
stomach, I must have eaten something,’ he blatantly undressed her
with his eyes.

‘Would you like
anything to drink sir?’

‘Yes some water
please,’ Patel answered, eyes glistening.

In the serving
bay she turned to her companion as she got his water. ‘We have a
pervert in 16c, can you find a seat for the poor woman sitting next
to him?’ Her companion looked down the aircraft. ‘Oh yes I see him.
What a creep I’ll see what I can do.’

A steward
handed Patel his water eyeing him disapprovingly. Patel returned
his look boldly. The steward faltered and spoke to the woman.
‘Would you like to change seats dear?’ he asked kindly.

‘Oh yes,’ she
said relieved, ‘thank you,’ and hastily followed him. Patel giggled
and switched off his lights, relieved to be on his own in the
dark.

THIRTY-SEVEN

A few miles out
of Nairobi, Brian pulled off the road and got out. ‘I need to pee,
do you want to drive?’

‘Alright.’ Doug
slid across the seat.

Brian got back
in trying to get a conversation going. ‘So you think antibiotics
will clear this stuff up?’

‘Yup, just get
to a Doctor.’

‘How do you
know, have you ever caught it?’

‘My mechanic’s
always getting a dose.’

‘What about the
women, don’t they have any symptoms? I mean Lucy must have known
she had it, right?’

‘Not always,
carriers don’t display any ill effects.’

‘Hmmm is that
-umm - the same with AIDS?’

Doug heard his
fear and softened a little. ‘AIDS is a whole new ball game, it’s
very name says you have to acquire it.’

‘But I can get
tested for it?’

‘Yup, there are
clinics all over Nairobi funded by the US. They also hand out free
condoms.’

‘Have you ever
had a test?’

‘No, firstly I
don’t fuck around, but they can’t tell accurately if you have AIDS
or not, the system itself is faulty.’

‘How do you
mean faulty?’

Doug tired of
this conversation. ‘Brian I’m not a Doctor, but I doubt you have
AIDS. If you’re worried, get yourself tested.’

‘Bloody tart,’
he said with feeling.

‘If it walks
like a duck, talks like a duck, chances are it’s a…by the way what
happened with that computer stuff you were doing?’

‘I have copied
all the data relevant to the case.’

They lapsed
back into silence as Doug drove the last few miles through the
Nairobi traffic.

At the hotel
reception, he introduced himself and asked after Firdus. ‘He is in
the dining room, he’s expecting you,’ the receptionist smiled
pleasantly and pointed the way.

The dining room
was about half full, candlelit with white crisp napkins and red
tablecloths. There was a pleasant warm hum in the atmosphere from
contented dinners. Firdus rose from his table as he spotted Doug
and Brian looking about. ‘Over here,’ he called.

Firdus and Doug
embraced warmly, he let go of his nephew and shook Brian’s hand.
‘Brian Nicholls I presume,’ eyeing his unshaven growth.

‘Hello Firdus,’
smiled Brian.

‘You boys
hungry?’

Doug sat down.
‘Yeah but I could kill for a cold beer first.’

‘Beer it is,
how about you?’ He asked Brian.

Brian nodded.
‘Sounds good.’

Firdus placed
the order with a hovering waiter. He beamed at his nephew. ‘Quite a
journey you have been on, eh? I was expecting three of you, is the
girl here?’

Doug looked at
Brian. ‘No – do you want to tell my uncle what happened to
Lucy.’

Brian
embarrassed, explained what had happened.

Firdus listened
without expression. ‘I see, I was hoping she could tell us more. No
matter, we have picked up Fimbo anyway, I’m sure he can tell us all
we need to know.’

The waiter
brought the drinks. Firdus finished what was on his plate as the
two travelers sipped their beers, he was aware of the underlying
tension between the two men. ‘I can recommend the food,’ he urged
as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. ‘They have a great selection
at the buffet, just help yourselves.’

Brian asked.
‘So what happens now?’

Firdus looked
at him. ‘First get something to eat and then we can go through to
the conference room. You can meet Katana,’ he looked significantly
at Doug, ‘the detective from Voi.’

‘I’m tired and
not really hungry,’ Brian said fingering his car keys, ‘and I badly
need a shower. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?’

‘No it can’t
and it won’t take long,’ Firdus said firmly.

Brian got up
and walked over to the buffet table.

‘I have
arranged for you to have a room here,’ Firdus told his nephew, ‘you
just need to meet Katana and fill in missing details. It’s vital
that you see him tonight.’

The two men
tucked into their food. ‘This is good,’ said Doug enthusiastically
spearing a piece of chicken.

Brian ate
little and ordered a bottle of mineral water; he drank often, his
tension stilting the conversation.

‘We can order
coffee in the conference room,’ Firdus suggested as they finished
their food, ‘or more beer?’

‘Coffee is fine
for me,’ Doug eyed up the sweets trolley.

‘You want one?’
Firdus asked with a grin.

‘No it’s ok,’
Doug smiled shyly.

‘Go on, choose
one, they can bring it through for you.’

Doug relented
and chose a slice of cheesecake.

‘How about
you?’ Firdus smiled at Brian.

He answered
distracted. ‘Maybe some more water.’

In the
conference room, a defiant looking Cyrus was sitting with Katana.
The detective looked disturbed and told him to wait outside. Firdus
made the introductions; they shook hands and sat down at the table.
There was a knock on the door. Katana answered it as a waiter
brought their coffee. He called out to Firdus. ‘Sir, a moment.’ He
stood by the open door while the waiter walked in.

Firdus walked
over. ‘Yes what is it?’

‘I have some
bad news,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Cyrus just told me he shot
Fimbo dead, trying to escape.’

Firdus sucked
in his breath. ‘I was afraid something like this would happen. Give
me the details later; my boy is tired, so let’s deal with him
first?’

Katana sat down
and they quickly went through Doug’s story. The detective
questioned Brian .When he had finished Katana said to Doug. ‘I will
have to interview your wife as well.’